Operation Raven
by MysticOverlord1
Summary: Sweetie Belle has found herself in critical danger. She was held prisoner by a power greedy Princess, only to see herself escape with former evil. After joining forces with Zecora, she finds herself fighting the country she once called "home"! Will she make it out alive? Rated M for strong language, violence and mild sexual scenes.
1. A Desperate Situation

**The Raven**

 _Disclaimer: The characters and Locations belong to Hasbro! Weapons may belong to certain designers and companies._

 _This is my first Fanfiction, and it'll be based around the My Little Pony universe. Please give any reviews, as they'll be greatly appreciated._

Chapter 1 - A desperate situation.

Sweetie sat in a dark, grimy and eerie chamber, struggling from the large, tight ropes that bound her to a tough steel chair. A fierce tyrant stood facing her, staring right into her scared young eyes. Occasionally, she would yell "What do you want from me?!"

Unfortunately, she would receive a startling set of stares from the Princess' subjects. Every time, the petrified girl would explode into tears. She was drenched with sweat by the scorching temperatures; not too far from being cooked in a steel oven.

The pink haired teen saw a slim, distinguished man, with long hair and a ripped, muscular body. He held a sawn off shotgun, in a very unsettling manner. The helpless victim squirmed in horror, worried on whether she would ever see outer Equestria again. The minacious figure took aim, with dead accuracy. He took an extensive breath, shortly followed with a swift pull of both triggers.

The large, extravagant crowd were bewildered; shocked as a lifeless, vacant figure lay on the searing concrete floor. The 12 gauge buckshot causing a gaping wound; blood gushing out of the immobile body. Before the cruel and twisted audience could even think, the hitman fully untied Sweetie, whose, usually immaculate, cardigan, shirt and skirt were worn, scruffy and drenched with copious amounts sweat. The once flabbergasted audience became enraged. Sombra grabbed the girls arm, pulling her viscously.

"We are LEAVING!" Sombra boomed.

They bolted out of the chamber; Sombra desperately trying to buy valuable time. They took temporary refuge behind a weak, damaged barricade. From blind rage, the naïve collection of armed subjects bolted past the makeshift shelter.

Knowing that they had both gained indispensable seconds, Sombra reloaded his sawn off shotgun, ensuring that he picked the best possible buckshot. He handed a machine pistol to a panicked Sweetie Belle; setting the pistol's fire type to semi-automatic. Nervous over the recoil of the gun, he turned to her, and exclaimed in a serious tone, "for the love of fucking God, keep it to semi! Don't fire unless you have to!"

Slowly and quietly, trying to avoid detection by the intimidating crowd, they headed towards the dungeons, keeping themselves armed, ready for any potential combat. They managed to exit the large torture chambers undetected, but as soon as the pair entered the main dungeons, they were hit with a massive, and yet terrible, surprised.

Equestria's dungeons were not as low-tech or as insecure as the torturing chambers. The entire prison was made out stainless steel, with heavy and robust doors to the minimal cells. The Royal Guards were patrolling the maximum security complex. They were dressed in fine, blue and gold silk robes; the country's crest displayed proudly and prominently. The helmets were made of gold alloy, with built in, sophisticated communication devices. To top it off, the Royal Guards were armed with SX7 bullpup marksman rifles. Its high calibre 2 round burst could take out a heavily armoured soldier, let alone a teenage schoolgirl in a shirt, cardigan, and skirt.

"Follow my lead, cover me when I'm reloading," Sombra spoke in a serious tone, "I want you out alive."

The slim man readied his shotgun; Sweetie followed him closely, with her Uzi equipped, prepared for any guards who tried to attack. Cooped towards the metallic wall, Sombra was already aiming at one of the guards. A small trigger pull causing a deafening sound, and a substantial wound in the patroller, the Guards clearly heard this gunshot! "Oi! You fucking bastard!" Flash screamed, causing the guards to move towards him.

In a panic, Sweetie dashed and hid behind one of the prison tables. The guards took aim at Sombra, repeatedly questioning him over where Sweetie went. Behind the table, the young female targeted the Guards, cleverly planning on how she could take out each and every threat. She was thinking of how, swiftly and carefully, she could move the gun's aim between each cycle. She took 5 rapid shots, each shot making a clean kill. She stood back up, assessing the newly created bloodbath. She took a fully loaded SX7, inspecting the shell ejection port and ensuring that the extra 2 magazines were full. Satisfied with her choice of weapon, she gave the Uzi back to Sombra, she spoke sweetly, "You are really struggling with that shotgun! I might as well give you something that doesn't require a reload after every shot."

Sombra was slightly concerned about his partner's selection, he warned her, "That gun might be too powerful for you las, just be careful!"

After advising each other over their gun choices, they walked up the bloody stairs that lead to the dungeon's cafeteria. They were getting closer to the exit!


	2. The Perilous Escape

**Chapter 2 - The Perilous Escape**

 _Author's note: Hey guys, just want to inform you of a few things! Characters and Locations belong to Hasbro and some weapons may belong to certain designers and companies! Also, I hope you enjoy the chapter! I would greatly appreciate a review! Thanks! :3_

After a frantic dash up the stairs, Sombra and Sweetie stood facing the door that lead to the cafeteria. Sweetie pulled as hard as she could on the robust, steel door; she made a pathetic attempt at opening it. Sombra couldn't bear seeing her struggle in distress, and due to this, he desperately tried to find ways to open the inert door. On discovery of an obscure security PIN pad, he decided to inform Sweetie, "Right by the door, there's a PIN pas! You only have limited attempts at this! DON'T fuck this shit up!"

Taking a rapid glance to her right, she noticed the PIN keypad, she took multiple deep breaths to calm herself down. It was too much for Sombra to stomach, as he could remember his extreme difficulties with the lock from when he was first incarcerated, and he often ended up in solitary confinement for failing to crack the code. Somehow, the teenager managed to open the lock in one go! She made it look like child's play, surprisingly him massively. After having their guns ready, Sweetie opened the alloy door and they both walked through.

The situation was unfavourable, mainly because the convicts were eating lunch. The canteen was miniscule, with the hard stone walls keeping the criminals enclosed, with one large barred window being their only view of the outside world. The tables and chairs, made of iron, were rusty and battered. The food looked so disgusting that it made shit look edible. The gloom resembled vomit. Despite the situation, the criminals seemed fine. She could even pick out certain conversations. The conversations on offer were "How the fuck is my 4 year old daughter gonna cope with this crap?" another being about their crimes, and to top the cake, there was even a delightful chat on how a guy was going to get kinky with an emo girl after release. When Sweetie realised that the transgressors were not of any threat, she scanned the slum for any Guards. Unfortunately, there were two Guards right by the set of beaten down doors! Thankfully, it seemed as if they only had to shoot down the sentinels, as there were no security locks attached to the exit.

After consideration of the next move, Sweetie aimed her marksman rifle at the guards, focusing the crosshairs of her scope onto the left warder. She triggered a clean 2 round burst kill, right into the centre of his chest. Sombra then followed suit with his Uzi, firing a couple of 3 round bursts. The 2 bursts reduced the well armoured soldier into a bloody carcass! They sprinted past the dinner tables; the lawbreakers completely frightened. After they passed the Royal corpses, they both approach the wooden door. Sombra tried to break it down. Failing, he tried to pull the cheap, unsatisfactory door, without any success. Between the 2 hard doors, he noticed a firm, iron bar keeping the two locked in. "It's locked!" Sombra exclaimed. He then planted a packet of C4 explosives on the door, "However, they did a piss poor job at it. Get to COVER, NOW!"

Sweetie ran down and hid behind the water fountain, which was rusty, let alone downtrodden. From the back of the fountain, she could only see the panic stricken prisoners, who were stressed over an appearance of the C4. Her ears were met with a thunderous explosion. Sombra scurried to the fountain, to violently pull Sweetie away, and get her out through the door. "The Guards would've heard that!" He boomed, " We have to get out of here, FAST!"

The exit lead them to the centre of Canterlot. Knowing a lot more of 'free' Canterlot than Sombra, Sweetie took a rapid lead, with the Crystal Empire's king taking strict, tight cover behind her. They both were ready; zoned for combat, and now, there seemed to be a light at the end of the grim tunnel.


	3. City Panic

3 Chapter Streak - UAV -

 _Author's Note: Thanks for checking out the latest chapter of this fanfiction. Just a couple of things: 1) the chapters will start becoming a lot larger. More descriptive and with some dialogue. 2) this'll mean that delays will be slightly longer. Any reviews will be appreciated (^_^) Characters and Locations belong to Hasbro Studios._

 **Chapter 3 - City Panic**

"Holy Shit,"

Sombra was astonished by the copious amount of people, who were still exploring and taking endless selfies, in the Canterlot Castle grounds at 10pm. Whilst the two were effortlessly masked by the crowd, they could only see the astounding, glossy white, well lit up towers, with the elegant gold roofs with purple engravings. As nice as those towers really were, they were useless in helping the hunted duo in escaping the furious army. Another dilemma, was the lighting. Whilst Sweetie Belle was not particularly fond of the dark, she realised that darker areas may actually help her in getting out of central Canterlot alive. Unfortunately, the palace was beautifully lit up. Despite giving the castle a gorgeous, silky look, it would give any sentinels a perfect opportunity to spot her, especially with pink and purple hair.

That scenario was unfavourable, especially being as Sweetie had extreme trouble seeing anything around her.

She spotted a cramped alleyway situated right in front of her and Sombra. The alleyway was undoubtedly a Blackpool Illumination in itself, but there were many nifty hiding positions that could help them to circumvent the inflamed army. The alleyway was also quiet, which would allow them both to spot any sentinels or passageways.

"There's a nice little path, next to no people! We might want to take that!" Sweetie whispered, hoping that the tourists wouldn't suspect the evasion.

Unfortunately, Canterlot was very noisy! It was a complete miracle that people could sleep with such a racket. Conversations, camera snaps and obnoxious music would be perfect in keeping anyone else awake. "Speak louder las, please" Sombra pleaded, "I can't hear fuck all with all these Princess Luna kiss-arses around me."

"There's a calmer path in front of us!" Sweetie exclaimed, she extended her hand to point to the pathway, "That's him!"

"Okay, let's take it nice and easy, keep with me, stay reasonably quiet," Sombra warned, "We don't want to go back"

Sweetie shuddered at the exact thought and, with Sombra, proceeded down the small alleyway! Surprisingly, with her current circumstance, she was enjoying his company. She felt warm whilst walking down with Sombra, she even gave him a small smile. She almost forgot about the situation she was in, until she heard someone yell "HEY!"

The next thing Sweetie knew, was that she was being pulled away rapidly by the slim man. She was then violently launched into a small, and darker tunnel. In next to no time, the Guards, military police and even Celestia herself, rushed down the large alleyway, blinded by rage against the duo. Sweetie crawled to the edge of the cramped tunnel, with her gun aimed out, examining the alleyway in hope of verifying if it was safe to continue. She slowly moved her head from left to right, ensuring that she checked every obscure corner. After being satisfied with her intricate scan, she tugged on her partner's shoulder, "All clear! Just be careful, they may have hid a few guards on this lane! Keep the guns ready!"

In an instant, Sombra took out his worn out Uzi, loaded a fresh, full magazine and cocked his gun. "Ready!"

The situation became more serious, Sweetie and Sombra were both progressing at a very slow, yet stealthy, pace. They managed to navigate the glossy, illuminated alleyway. Past the bright and vivid towers and homes, and the empty sidepaths. Sweetie was first to spot a set of stainless steel stairs, "We should probably see where this goes. There'll most likely be next to no people!" Sweetie suggested with confidence.

Sombra was not convinced, "Okay, but there might be some Guards. Let me lead off, spray, and you'll need to finish off any survivors."

He walked down towards the steps in almost complete silence, he then beckoned to Sweetie, requiring her to follow him. Sombra reached into his pockets for a flash grenade, cooked it, and throw the flashbang, viscously, onto the ground below. An ear splitting sound met both of them, as well as a short, snappy white flash.

The 7 guards that were blocking the pathway below were immobilised, unable to see or hear after the sudden flashbang. Sombra turned his Uzi on, to fully automatic, and started to spray. Each bullet would pierce through the skin of the guards. The gaping wound causing an eruption of blood. Briskly causing a river of blood; the seven unfortunate operatives drowning in the fluid. He heard an immediate 2 round burst, violently taking down one guard hidden behind a barricade! "Decent shot! Did not see him," Sombra thanked, "However, the Army know that we escaped! They're probably guarding the exits!"

The pounded down the solitary trail, almost approaching the exit, they could see the tunnel that would allow them to reach the ever inviting ground. After 15 minutes of running, Sweetie was overcome with exhaustion, unable to move. "Stop!" She desperately pleaded, "I can't run any more!"

Sombra stopped, with a hint of frustration. He patiently waited for Sweetie to recollect herself. Sweetie could only gaze longingly into the refreshing, peaceful stream flowing underneath the city. The sound of the waterfalls were strangely calming. Swiftly moving her head to the pathway, she spotted a camouflaged officer, holding a bulky machine gun, the belt practically full. She poised her marksman rifle at his direction. She had to guarantee a perfect shot; she was fully drained. When the crosshairs aligned with pinpoint precision, she triggered the deady 2 round burst, eradicating the threat. Slowly, she stood up and jogged over to a discombobulated Sombra. "Was that a Guard?

"Yes," replied Sweetie, "He was just around the corner."

"Just bloody fantastic," Sombra boomed with anger, "They're all round there! Follow me!"

Sweetie trudged behind him, trying to prevent any panting from her 15 minute dash. By the time Sweetie stopped trying to recover, Sombra had already decimated a fully armoured Guard. She was determined to keep her focus on the game. One second could be the ultimate difference between life or death. She identified another warder, or which she was able to pick off and rip to shreds with her rifle. "I'm empty!" She informed Sombra, with tears!

She searched frantically for any magazines, she found a pitiful 6 round magazine, but nothing else. Sighing with regret, she loaded the tiny magazine into the slot of her gun. She then heard a viscous spray of projectiles from her partner. Causing a lethal cut, deep into the hostile skin.

With utter care, they continued towards the gates of the city. Every nook and cranny being searched; they just had to succeed! Failure was not an option. It was imperative that she survived. Right at the gate, there were 2 Royal Guards! The others were still searching around the castle. Sombra and Sweetie took aim at a Guard each, and they pulled the guns, eliminating the sentinels simultaneously! "Looks like we're out!" Sweetie exclaimed, happily as they walked out of the city, towards the thundering waterfalls.

"Yes, but we need to get a plan Miss Belle, they'll probably be preparing military attacks as we speak!" Sombra warned, preoccupied about the foreseeable future.

"Okay! But I'm knackered, I really am! I need to recharge my bloody energy." Sweetie said, as she took a seat behind the violent waterfall. Sombra sat right beside her. She turned to Sombra, "Thank you man," She spoke in an exceptionally sweet tone. She then lunged in to give him a quick kiss on his lips. She even snuck in her tongue, causing them both to explode into a bright shade of scarlet. Embarrassed, she pulled away, swiftly, and changed the subject, "Where are we going next?" She spoke, desperately trying to get back on track, "Because we can't go back!"

Unfortunately, Sombra was still trying to get over the fact that Sweetie actually kissed him. Somehow, it made him more determined to save her life. He smiled at her, which was massively unusual for the Lord. The somewhat stunning girl, who had been quite a good marksman. That was his focus, he wanted her alive, more than ever! He concentrated on her recent question, "We'll probably need to see Starswirl, he's one of the few wizards here, and hopefully a friendly face in this goddamn death trap!" He answered, quietly, "But I must ask, how were you able to shoot like that?

"When I was young, probably like 9 or 10, my father used to take me out hunting, we used a slug shotgun, and they were a pain in the arse to load, so you had to be superb with accuracy," She explained, "And that was before I was 11, after that, I was living with my sister and I went to the school in a town situated right next to Sweet Apple Acres, and not too far from Everfree forest."

"Everfree?" Sombra asked.

"Yes, and we'd usually go to Maria's, some call her Fluttershy, and she'd explain every single bullshit fairy tale. Well, except for one. The tribe hidden right in the middle, being run by a witch!"

"Is this witch Zecora?"

"Yes, the people here think she's evil, or something, well, except for Twilight Sparkle. Zecora's a pretty chill lady, though I stay away from her when she goes bat-crap crazy." Sweetie noticed guards walking around the gates, "It's best we start moving down the cave, because we can't stay here any longer!"

With that, the pair started to trek down into the cave, that should get them to the lower ground.

 _Author's Note: This should be the average length of a chapter, some will be longer, some shorter. Again, reviews appreciated!_


	4. A Rocky Situation

**Chapter 4 - A Rocky Situation**

 _Disclaimer: Some characters and all locations belong to Hasbro Studios. Some weapons based of real life designs._

 _Also, please review this fanfiction! Many thanks._

"Why the fuck did we enter this bloody cave?" Sombra boomed, frustrated at Sweetie's bizarre sense of direction. He got a glimpse of his perilous obstacle, a dim, blue cave, so dark that seeing anything was a hurdle in itself. He could make out a slight glow of turquoise coming from one of the many passageways. From this, he could barely spot an abandoned minecart rail. He also caught glimse of a wooden, battered and flimsy minecart left carelessly in their way; the remaining wood planks bound hap-hazardly with dangerous, sharp edges. The cart's steel frame and cast iron track rusted beyond any reasonable repair. "It looks like something I'd spot on Channel 5's Cowboy Builders! Got a crazy idea! Let's walk out and go down the hill!"

"And get screwed in the arse?" She snapped, "There will be, and I've been here before, 40 heavily armoured Guards, with machine guns, 15 patrolling wolves, and a very plain line of sight for any warders to pick us off. How do we escape that with an Uzi and a low capacity rifle?"

"I really don't know!" He cried, "I've only traveled through by underground passageways, I haven't really been out in the main city!"

"Uh... What? Underground paths? Why did you not inform me of such paths?" She demanded a clear answer.

"Those paths start from the path of which I shot one of the many Princesses from! I'm sure some guard would've thought to have blocked that door!" Sombra explained, trying to remain clear and concise.

"Fair enough. Sorry for snapping off, my bad." She tried to give off a mellower voice after her improper snap of her tongue. She looked down in embarrassment, finding it hard to recollect herself. Eventually, she felt the need to snap out of that sensation and carry on, being the only one, out of the two, who was confident on where to go. "Follow me! I think I know where to go!"

"What about the minecart?" Sombra asked, clearly seeing the large, shoddy impediment. "We can't just walk around it!"

Sweetie carefully poised her feet on the awkward stalagmite, slowly placing her hands upon the slippery, damp, stone wall. She needed to have perfect balance to avoid breaking the minecart. This cave was a tourist attraction, and the Guards would definitely sense suspicion if the minecart was completely smashed into tiny fragments. She made an anxious step, her legs starting to wobble. She placed her left foot onto a larger, more stable stalagmite. Unfortunately, this caused her legs to spread, and her right foot to start slipping. Luckily, her right foot made a swift transition to the bigger stalagmite, allowing her to compose her legs upon satisfaction of her stability and balance. She manoeuvred her right hand around the spiky rocks placed on the cave wall, of which that hand started to slip off. This caused her to start panic, and thus she, reluctantly, made a lengthy jump from the stalagmite to the uneven and slippery ground. Sweetie desperately tried to keep her footing, but ended up landing ruthlessly onto her buttocks.

"Are you okay Sweetie?" Sombra inquired, concerned by her grimace upon the painful landing.

"Yeah! Just try to be careful, and try and avoid jumping!" Sweetie exclaimed optimistically. "It should be fine."

"For you, maybe. For me, it won't be." Sombra said, slightly frustrated, "We couldn't have just moved this cart instead, could we?"

"They'd probably suspect something."

"We're not moving a bloody minecart all the way to Manehattan, we're just moving it slightly, they'd probably think nothing about it." He made subtle deep breaths of annoyance whilst speaking. "So shall we just move it, rather than failing to show a cocky route that only gives success based on luck?

"OK!" She obeyed, walking up the tight, cramped cave towards the minecart, she reached for the end of the cart nearest to the slippery stalagmites. Sombra reached out to the other side of the minecart, on the same end, he took deep breaths and said, "Push slightly."

They both pushed the battered, yet troublesome minecart a couple of inches away from the stone wall. He walked around to the other side of the minecart. "That wasn't as hard as you thought."

"No, but it did required me to navigate to the oth-"

She was cut off by the roaring sound of a minecart rushing down a steep slope, followed by the unsettling sound of the grotty cart crashing into one of the cave's many stone walls. "Fuck!"

Sombra immediately snapped into guard, aiming his gun towards the entrance of the dim cave. He kept himself tight with the dripping, damp wall. Sweetie approached the opposite wall, kneeling down behind a large stalagmite, and used that as a convenient, strong barricade. She poised her rifle over the shiny stalagmite, keeping herself aware for anything that could approach her. Sweetie was on high alert whilst monitoring the entrance. She was apprehensive, and for good reason too, as losing focus for one second could end Sombra's, or even her, life.

"Aw, come on!" Sombra cried, impatient after 2 minutes in guard, "No fucker is coming so let's just go!"

Anxiously, Sweetie stood up, taking her eyes off the entrance to the cave. She saw a bright turquoise light at the end of a killer slope, "Let's follow the light! It'll probably help us in leaving this death trap."

"Might as well!" Sombra sighed with reluctance, "I hope that this suggestion won't be as shitty as the last, las."

She walled down treacherous 2 mile slope, slowly and carefully, following the beaming glow of turquoise. "It'll be um... f-fine?" She stuttered, whilst stepping down the steep and dangerous rocky slant. "We w-will uh... make it!"

Sombra followed suit, with the same speed and vigilance as Sweetie. Not only was this slope severely steep, it was also very damp and slippery. Slipping could be fatal. It took them forty brutal minutes but finally, they reached the end of the painful slant, all in one piece in one piece. After a 2 minute breather to recollect from the nasty couple of miles, they continued down the left path, which was the source of the vivid light.

"Sweetie!" Sombra bellowed.

"Yeah?" spoke the bewildered girl, "Why are you yelling?"

"Because I wanna know why there's a fucking tree in the middle of the cave, and I wanna know NOW!" He continued, still shouting.

The tree that he was referring to was a large, luminous group of blue crystals resembling an Oak tree. This tree had many glowing branches, all leading to an element. Each element symbolises a vital component for spiritual harmony and magical diversity. Queen Celestia even used this exact tree to defeat and trap Discord, the God of Chaos. Ironically, it was chaotic enough without Discord.

The Tree of Harmony also helps the foliage in Everfree and allows the trees to grow with splendid health in the dense Everfree rainforest. The oddly placed, unworldly tree even allowed for small flowers to grow on the rocks in the surrounding area. This tree was responsible for the beauty and peace in the small, homely village. Since they were near to this splendour, they were shielded from any Guards would could try to kill them! Unfortunately, as soon as they leave Everfree, they could end up at the mercy of the tyranny of a once peaceful Goddess.

"Calm down!" Sweetie reassured with a smile. "It's the Tree of Harmony! Helps protect Ever... Wait, we can't be, we only walked down one slope."

She trudged towards the slope, hoping to see any sign of the entrance. But she couldn't see any rail, or any sign of the outer world. "Shit!" she cried, "Somehow, we must've entered the Cave of Harmony, which leads to the Everfree forest."

"And where is that, exactly?" Sombra demanded, desperately.

"Seen this area! We need to just walk forward and we'll be out in no time!" she suggested.

Reluctantly, he went with her idea, walking down the cracked, rocky path towards where the forest supposedly was. Sweetie took lead, as Sombra was utterly clueless on where he was going. Just a minute later, a dwarf started to speak behind them.

"What the heck are you guys doing?" this old bloke boomed, "Why are you in a flipping cave?"

They both turned to face this miniature guy. In his 90s, the wrinkled man only stood at 4'0, his back crooked. His frail legs forced him to use an ugly, wooden walking stick. He wore a silky blue robe, with golden writings in Hebrew. He had a large beard, however, his head was bald. He looked like someone you'd expect see at Hogwarts. "I think you two pillocks need to follow me!"


	5. Dawn of a New Challenge

Chapter 5 - Dawn of a New Challenge

 _Author's Note: Characters and Locations belong to Hasbro and some weapons may belong to certain designers and companies. Any reviews will be appreciated._

It was 06:00 when the scorching beacon of fire started to rise into the orange sky. Starswirl walked out onto the porch to admire the spectacular view of the Everfree town. Everfree was anything but an eyesore, with beautiful classic white and black cottages surrounding the area. Also, there were those wonderful little shops, with the bright, colourful signs and the classical information chalkboards. The few pubs, ran by wealthy landlords, already buzzing with early drinkers. The local church had it's golden bells ringing, attempting to wake the town up from its slumber. The large stone fountain, with water flowing peacefully, was the splendour of the town, especially with the statue of the Goddess of Harmony, Twilight Sparkle proudly erected on top. The family at the local Sweet Apple Acres were already awake, breaking their backs and preparing for the Autumn harvest. There was a small, yet delightful, schoolhouse situated to the right of this farm with fatigued teachers and studious pupils already entering the building. "It's like living back in the good ol' days. Back when those flipping mobile telephones weren't around."

"Morning," Sombra said, with a smile, "Haven't seen you in a while."

Starswirl was met with upmost shock to see Sombra awake at such an early time. "Are you usually awake at 6 o'clock?" He inquired

Sombra outstreched his arms, and made a yawn, before replying, "Usually get up at half five! Like to look at the lovely sunrise before my squad tries to piss me off."

"No squad of mine makes me want to swear, mister." Starswirl retorted, "Everyone I see, good and bad, makes me happy to be a part of God and his will."

Sweetie strolled through the door, her presence being as warm as a summer's afternoon. She was refreshed, wearing her clean purple cardigan, striped shirt and lemon skirt, complementing her sweet fragrance. Despite the cleanliness, however, the clothes were still torn.

"Hiya!" Sweetie exclaimed, almost singing, "Such a bright little morning!"

She reached her soft, cuddly arm around Sombra's back, pulling him in to a slightl hug, "How are you?" She wondered, her soft and elegant voice giving Sombra a sense of warmth. She turned to him, giving him a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, Sweetie!" Sombra answered gently, "We do need to set off."

"We also need to discuss a few things, have a little chat!" the wizard croaked, "You need the map of Equestria and I need to tell you where to go. Where all the safehouses are, weapon storages and shops. Um... wait... Sweetie, would you please go inside and sit in the lounge? Just for a second?"

"Yeah, can do," she responded politely.

As she walked in, the dwarf muttered, "Way out of your character, sire."

Sombra swiveled his head around, glaring at Starswirl, "What?" He boomed, surprised by such a remark.

Sweetie giggled at that obvious statement, feeling that he was acting somewhat strange, and for some particular reason. She walked to the door of Swirl's cabin. This compact cabin was made with pine wood, with hidden steel enforcements to keep the beautiful, humble home strong. The flaming sun bounced off the shiny glass door. The windows of the house were framed with expensive gold frames, each frame had intricate patterns engraved. The porch was elegant, and homely, with its wooden fence, 2 silky sofas, and a smooth coffee table. She could only admire this simple, yet sophisticated, building and it's picturesque view of Everfree.

As she opened the door, and walked into Starswirl's lounge, she was amazed by the cultured decorations and the luxurious furniture. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Did Rarity design this room? The beautiful white curtains go with the pine wall, and those super comfy brown couches. A mahogany table! Fuck! Mahogany always does well, but here it's especially refined. That glass vase just looks fantastic, especially with those roses. Rose isn't really my first choice, but it does still complement the mahogany and pine.

That 65 inch TV is slotted well into the wall, the 24 carat gold frames really suits him. I like those engravings. Aw, it has little cupboard doors for opening, so that you could use the Sky and tidy away the remotes. The cushions are sooooooo cute, but they really don't fit in!" Sweetie excitedly whispered to herself.

She then sat down, gently, onto one of the sofas. She was pleasantly surprised by how cozy the sofa was. The comfort from the couch was divine. She felt at home for a few minutes, that was until she heard Starswirl and Sombra enter the lounge.

"Right!" Starswirl announced briskly. He placed down a battered, scruffy map onto the table, "This is the map of Equestria."

"Didn't know that," Sombra murmured sarcastically. Starswirl sighed heavily from his contemptuous statement, he shook his old head slowly at Sombra.

"So, where do we actually go?" He asked, clearly, and without a snide tongue.

"Depends on who you choose!" Swirl answered with glee, "Laat night, I made phone calls to certain military and non military agencies. And I'm pleased to say that we have God and Jesus on our side. Hallelujah! A bunch of people have seen this on the news, and are willing to help you through the struggle."

"Is the Crystal Empire on your list of teams?"

"Unfortunately, no. But we do have some pretty good ones. The Wonderbolts, why they called themselves that, we'll never know, heard about this clear as day, and they are willing to help Sweetie reach the safety of the Empire, but they only want to have Sweetie. They wouldn't accept you, because of the requests of Rainbow Dash."

"Oh," he looked into Sweetie and reluctantly asked, "Do you wish to take them?"

"Not really, I'd rather be in this together!" she replied, "Have any others?"

"Yes, if you fly or drive to Griffinstone, then Gilda has a reasonably armed army. Energy weapons, railguns, and even regular ballistic sub machine guns and assault rifles. But there aren't any magical powers to be learnt."

"That sounds good!" Sombra exclaimed.

"But what about the New Lunar Republic, situated at Baltimare and run by Princess Luna?"

"Dude!" Sweetie sneered aggressively, "We're wanted!"

"Yes, I suppose so," Starswirl was taken aback by her sudden, and viscous tongue, yet he spoke with full composure. "But they heard about the recent events on the news. Found other events, different, yet all so similar, that were all so similar. Gay shootings, town raidings, bank robberies, business damage, drug supplies, child abuse, and even more of these tragic events were all caused by Celestia! That's why half of the nutters never get arrested around here, because she's one of them! Anyway, they saw you being tugged around, in a lack of clothes, in public and busy Canterlot, and they agreed with the likes of Equestria Daily, Sky, Empirical Broadcasting Solutions and EQTV, that the authorities went way too far."

"Wow..." Sweetie gasped, in shock and disgust.

"Well, because of that one story, the Republicans are anxious to help you battle the Tyrant of Equestria! Their army are super advanced as well as magically equipped. However, their vehicles are not as good as Griffinstone's. And their magic is limited to attacks, rather than long lasting spells."

"That one sounds pretty reliable" Sweetie replied, slightly reassured by the potential power of Luna's Army, "Sorry about my snap, just became slightly presumptuous."

"That's fine, Sweetie," Starswirl forgave, "But never, ever presume! That'll get any reasonable person killed, almost instantly!"

"OK!" Sweetie replied, understanding his crucial warning.

"But here, the fight depends on magic. And, that's where Zecora and her tribe come into play. It's a relatively modern tribal militia that takes up camp, training and many battles in a small village, inside the gorge of Everfree. This gorge runs by a river, gushing shed loads of rapids from a waterfall, of course, giving it a distinctive sound. Zecora would meet you in the forest, to lead you two down there safely."

"How do they come into play then?" Sweetie inquired.

"The weaponry is mostly modern, but there are many prototype beam and shock guns, that'll be risky but possibly effective. They try and train you new magical skills, especially in crafting, applying and learning potions, spells and attacks. They don't have vehicles, but they have fire breathing dragons, lethal falcons and special magical abilities. They're your best shot for any reasonable success!"

Sombra whispered to Sweetie, "I know Zecora, she's pretty fucking loyal with me, even during my darker years. She knows about every single magical creature and many magical spells and powers. Unlike Fluttershy, these stories and legends aren't pulled out from her arse. I've seen it all. If you don't take her, or my empire, then you're a dickhead."

Sweetie absorbed each word, and confirmed, "The tribal militia with Zecora is a pretty smart choice."

"I see that you didn't really want to be a deehead." Starswirl screeched, Sombra swiveled his head, staring icily into the wizard's eyes, "Yes, I heard. My hearing isn't crap, y'know! Crikey, I ain't that old!"

"We need to go!" Sombra pronounced, only for Starswirl to continue speaking.

"You'll meet up with Fluttershy!"

"I bloody well won't!" Sombra objected, hastily.

"BS! You blooming well will!" Starswirl demanded, with an iron mouth, "She'll tell you about young Belle, and how she should be treated."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sombra inquired, full of discombobulation.

"It means that she should be made to be like Rarity. Be the elegant witness. Passive and not to kill," Starswirl explained.

"Fuck that." Sweetie mouthed, the old wizard clearly saw her mouthing.

"And she should be 100% religious with a fully clean vocabulary." Swirl saw her shake her head, "And don't shake your head, you're supposed to be the lady, not the killer!"

"I'll consider it!" Sombra said, deceitfully, "See you later Swirl."

"Don't say bye yet! I'll meet you up at the Smokey Mountains with Maria. We'll see how you're coping."


End file.
